About B2S

The Blog

Image Credit: Elysian Fields Photography

Welcome to Born to Science!

I want to re-introduce you to the joy of science! There are a lot of really cool things to learn about our world and universe. Great strides have been made in recent years to promote the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, but much of that effort has been geared toward children. My passion is in sharing my excitement for science with adults who might have lost sight of the scientist in themselves.

As Carl Sagan famously said, “Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them.”

My goal is to make science fun again!

The Author

I am currently a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ph.D. candidate, and I have a wide range of interests and science hobbies. In addition to my research in the field of RNA transcription (making RNA from the DNA template), I also volunteer in the Paleontology and Archaeology exhibits at my local children’s museum, and I very recently joined the local astronomical society. I love sharing my passion for science with others in a variety of settings.

Throwback: Mel the Nature Instructor with Tickles the Snake

A few summers ago, I had the privilege of being the Nature Instructor at a summer camp where I developed and implemented activities for campers of all ages. The focus of these activities ranged from native plants and animals to amateur astronomy. At the time, I thought this was just a fun and educational summer job, and it took me a while to realize just how much the experience taught me about myself and my interests.

After graduating from college, I became a research technician in a lab studying an enzyme called telomerase in breast and ovarian cancers. After a few years of working in the lab, I joined my Ph.D. program and began working on RNA Polymerase II Transcription Termination. (Read about that here, here, and here.) In both labs, I have been lucky to have many opportunities to teach and train many new lab members. I have been involved in mentoring several students at the lab bench, including high school students, undergraduates, and first year Ph.D. students.

I also have some experience as the teaching assistant for the Molecular Biology and Genetics course taken by incoming Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students. This academic year, I will also start “guest lecturing” in a couple undergraduate and graduate courses.

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Recent Events on: Central Indiana Science Outreach

Remember the great time we had celebrating Pint of Science in 2016? Get ready for an even better time in 2017 with taste of science April 24-26. taste of science is a national science festival taking place annually over three evenings in April – the 24th-26th. There are many amazing children’s events out there, but people’s curiosity […]

PUBLIC LECTURE, FEBRUARY 15th, 7pm BIER BREWERY, 65th NEAR BINFORD CINSO and the Center for Inquiry of Indiana co-host the monthly lecture series “Cafe Inquiry.” RSVP here! We’ll be at a number of locations in 2017, so be sure you check the venue! Presentation: Get ready to engage your mind, think critically, and apply that thinking to […]

PUBLIC LECTURE, January 18th, 7pm ROUND TOWN BREWERY, DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS CINSO and the Center for Inquiry of Indiana co-host the monthly lecture series “Cafe Inquiry.” RSVP here! We’ll be at a number of locations in 2017, so be sure you check the venue! Presentation: Did you know that before settlement, 85% of the state of Indiana […]